Calif. college aid scam defendant pleads guilty

SAN PABLO, Calif. 
Court records show campus administrators were suspicious of the alleged ringleader of a college aid scam at Contra Costa College months before police launched an investigation.

The Contra Costa Times reported on Wednesday (
http://bit.ly/13jR6Ol
) that the head of the college's financial aid department contacted federal education officials about 45-year-old Yvette Hummel in mid-2011.

Prosecutors say Hummel enrolled "straw students" at the college who never attended class, but received financial aid. She allegedly took a 25 percent cut of their financial aid checks. She was accused of bilking the college out of $109,000 and has pleaded guilty in the case.

Her 54-year-old boyfriend, David Murphy, has also taken a plea deal. More than a dozen other people face charges.

Some of the straw students received grades in a drama class they never attended. The class's instructors were cleared of any wrongdoing.